The Islanders signed free agent Logan Stanley to a one-year contract Sunday, ending a summer in which the big defenseman went unsigned.
Elliotte Friedman reported the deal carries a $1.5 million cap hit.
That's $250,000 more than the $1,250,000 he carried last season.
He stands 6-foot-7 and 231 pounds, which is hard to miss on any blue line.
Last season was the best of his career offensively, with 26 points across 76 games between Winnipeg and Buffalo.
Nine of those were goals, after he had never scored more than once in any previous NHL season.
So why did it take until the final weekend of camp?
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Former first-round pick joins Islanders in massive free-agent move
The edge comes with the package. He piled up 128 penalty minutes last season.
Career-wise, he has 333 penalty minutes in 278 NHL games.
The timing makes sense for the Islanders. They put five players on waivers Saturday, including Pierre Engvall, then lost 4-1 to New Jersey that night.
This is a smart, cheap signing. Mathieu Darche gets size and a career year on a one-year deal with no long-term risk attached.
Landing a big defenseman this late is like finding the last parking spot right by the door. You don't ask questions, you just pull in.
His 17 regular-season games in Buffalo produced five assists and a plus-5. He also dressed for eight playoff games with the Sabres last spring.
The Jets drafted him 18th overall in 2016, and he spent parts of six seasons in Winnipeg.
Before turning pro, he put up 42 points with the Kitchener Rangers in 2017-18, then added 16 more in 19 playoff games.
If he cracks the lineup, he'll be clearing space in front of Ilya Sorokin, whose $8,250,000 cap hit ranks sixth among NHL goalies.
The Islanders finished the preseason 1-3-0 and open October 3 at home against the Devils.
A summer without a contract just turned into a one-year audition. If last season's scoring was real, he'll be shopping for a much bigger deal next summer.
Is Logan Stanley worth $1.5 million to the Islanders after his career year?
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